Byronic Heroes & Co.

Sometimes you have to be. It all depends on what’s at stake, of course. Some people are determined to raise hell upon the earth, while others are determined just to see the sun rise another day.

I’ve always regarded myself as stubborn, and I mean that in a good way. For all the times I got my mother upset with me when I was growing up, I argued that she and my father should have thought twice before having kids because as they’re both stubborn people, genetically, they were bound to produce some seriously stubborn children.

My oldest sister has repeatedly exclaimed that she’s not stubborn but determined. Isn’t the fact that she’s willing to argue that point a clear cut sign of stubbornness? She makes me laugh at that every time.

I do admire most stubborn people. Sometimes even the ones I fined disagreeable with on some account. Those I respect the most are those who are determined to overcome some genuine adversity in life, even if they truly fail to rise above it. These are people whom I’ve come across that really inspire me.

Some relatives, friends, acquaintances and total strangers can be determined to steer you away from your goals.

“It’s a fantasy, a waste, it’ll never amount to much,” they’ll say.

“Are you sure that you know what you’re doing?” they’ll ask.

What you pursue could be the healthiest thing in the world but because others don’t believe in it or are inclined to take it for granted, they’ll go out of their way to dissuade you from your ambitions.

Be equally obstinate. Sometimes it truly is a terrible way to be but it’s usually one of the few characteristics of a person’s life that keeps them from giving up on their most precious dreams.

I was on the fence for quite some time about putting this shot in the project. While it definitely depicts Hamilton life, or that of any city anywhere in the planet, I didn’t want it to seem as though the wheelchair and the fact that this person is bound to it are the main focus. It’s the way his body is all into his effort to mobilize himself in the way he has to that I want to convey.

Whether able bodied or not, it’s a struggle and he’s getting on with it with everything he’s got.